Indians of North America -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Folklore; Modoc Indians -- Religion; Modoc mythology
“Why do you cry?” asked Wus. “Are you sorry to be here? For a long time
I have listened to you. When I have been out hunting, I have heard you
singing about me. If you don’t like me, why did you sing that song?”
“I am not crying about you, I am crying about my baby; I think my
father or brothers will kill it.”
“They will not kill the baby. I have power; I can do anything; I am
Wus,” said the young man.
Wus pushed the sun and made it go down quickly. As soon as the woman
was asleep, he fixed the baby’s ears, made them like the ears of a
person. He did this by thinking hard and wishing them to be that way.
Old Tsmuk and his wife were looking for their daughter. They knew that
Wus had been trying to find her and they thought he had caught her.
They called to her, and listened for her song, but didn’t hear it.
Tsmuk’s daughter wanted to go home; she wanted to see her father and
mother. Wus knew her thoughts, and he asked: “Why do you think of such
things? What I wish for will be. To-morrow you will go home.”
The next morning Wus wrapped up the baby and tied it on a board. The
child was bright and beautiful. It looked like a rainbow.
Old man Tsmuk sent his youngest son to hunt for his sister. When the
young man saw her coming, he didn’t know her, she was so beautiful; she
was different from what she had been before. He ran into the house, and
said: “There is a beautiful woman coming.” When the second brother saw
her, he said: “That is our sister.” The woman was alone, except for the
baby on her back. When she went into the house, her father asked: “What
man have you found? If Wus is your husband, you can’t stay here!”
Wus was a long way off, but he heard what the old man said and he was
angry. He thought: “I will find out if old Tsmuk is mad at his
daughter.” Then he wished the baby to turn to a little fox. When the
young woman took the baby off her back, it was like a baby fox. It was
covered with hair.
“That child smells like a fox!” cried the old man. He snatched it and
threw it out of the house. The mother screamed. Wus heard her, and
said: “Now I will torment Tsmuk.” That moment Wus’ wife was an old
woman. Her youngest brother was so frightened that he lay down and
cried. The baby was crying itself to death, but the mother couldn’t do
anything; she was bent over and helpless, too old to go out of the
house.
Wus thought: “Bring in that child!” That minute the young man got up,
went out, and brought in the baby and put it by its mother. He said to
his sister: “Lie down, and I will cover you up.”
Wus thought: “My brother-in-law is going to like me,” and he was glad.
He gave his own feelings to the young man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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